Screwdriver with screw holding means



Oct. 4, 1966 M. o. SUNDIN 3,276,494

SCREWDRIVER WITH SCREW HOLDING MEANS Filed NOV. 25, 1964 4 I INVENTOR.

MARTIN O' SUNDIN United States Patent 3,276,494 SCREWDRIVER WITH SCREW HOLDING MEANS Martin O. Sundin, Box 174, Viscount, Saskatchewan, Canada Filed Nov. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 413,255 4 Claims. (Cl. 145-50) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in screwdrivers, particularly screwdrivers adapted to hold a screw by the kerf or slot prior to engagement of the screw with the attaching means normally associated therewith.

Several attempts have been made in the past to provide such screwdrivers, said screwdrivers normally falling into two classes.

The first class includes a pair of blades, the kerf ends of which are normally biased upwardly due to the resiliency of the material from which they are formed. In this particular type of screwdriver, means are provided to close the kerf ends together prior to insertion within the kerf slot and the holding of the screw upon the bits is accomplished by the resiliency of the blades.

It will be appreciated that this gives a relatively insecure grip upon a screw so that said screw is easily disengaged from the kerf engaging ends.

The second class of screwdriver includes similar resilient blades having a Wedge or similar means in between which is forced downwardly thus forcing the bits apart and although this gives a positive grip to the screw, nevertheless the construction of such screwdrivers is relatively expensive, involved and bulky.

I have overcome these disadvantages by providing a pair of resilient blades, the bit ends of which are normally biased towards another. By providing semicircular resilient portions intermediate the ends, a simple sleeve is sufficient to pivot the bit portions apart when the sleeve is moved downwardly, the natural resiliency of the material returning the bits to the closed position when the sleeve is moved upwardly.

I have thus provided a screwdriver which gives a positive engagement to the screw kerf yet which is extremely simple in construction without the necessity of providing the relatively involved wedge construction of other types of screwdrivers.

The principal object and essence of the invention is therefore to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the movement of a sliding sleeve actuates the bits for engagement within a screw kerf.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the two blades are similar in construction and are formed complementary to one another thereby enabling them to be stamped in one simple operation and annealed later to provide the necessary resiliency and temper.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the bit ends can be shaped to engage a variety of types and sizes of screw kerfs.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture, and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of my device showing the blades in the normal or kerf engaging position.

3,276,494 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but showing the bits engaged within a screw head.

FIGURE 3 is a partial elevation at right angles to FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view substantially along the .line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Proceeding therefore to describe my invention in detail, reference character 10 illustrates a conventional plastic handle of the normal type having a ferrule 11 which is adapted to hold within the handle a pair of resilient blades 12 and 13 by the upper ends 14 thereof.

These resilient blades are similar to one :another and lie substantially alongside one another when secured to the handle as clearly illustrated.

The blades are preferably of semi-cylindrical cross-sectional configuration as indicated in FIGURE 4 and are provided with semi-circularly curved portions 15 intermediate the ends thereof, said portions 15 defining handle end portions 16 of the blades and curved end portions 17 thereof.

Bit ends 18 are formed on the distal ends 19 of the curved end portions 17, said bit end portions 18 combining to fit within a kerf or slot 20 of a screw head 21 which is adapted to be held by the screwdriver.

The semicircularly curved portions 15 are resilient and are formed to hold the bit ends 18 together as shown in FIGURE 1 under normal conditions.

A sliding sleeve 22 surrounds the handle end portions 16 of the blades and is adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly between the ferrule 11 and right angular shoulders 23 formed upon the upper ends 24 of the semi-circularly curved portions 15.

When in the normal position shown in FIGURE 1, with the sleeve 22 in the uppermost position adjacent the handle 10, the resiliency of the blades causes the curved end portions 17 to lie in intenfacial relationship as clearly shown.

However, when the sleeve 22 is moved downwardly towards the shoulders 23, the blade portions pivot around the area or point 25 adjacent the lower ends 26 of the semi-circularly curved portions thus forcing the bits 18 apart from one another so that, if the bits are engaged within a screw kerf 20, the screw is held firmly and positively by the bits as clearly shown in FIGURE 2.

In operation, the screw 21 is engaged over the bits which are in the position shown in FIGURE 1 whereupon the sleeve is slid downwardly thus forcing the bits apart for engagement within the screw kerf 20.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A screwdriver comprising a handle, a pair of resilient blades secured by one end thereof in said handle and extending therefrom, said blades lying substantially alongside one another and converging towards one another in the direction of said handle, a screw kerf engaging bit on the distal end of each of said blades, resilient means intermediate the ends of such blades defining handle end portions and kerf end portions of said blades, said means normally biasing said handle end portions away from one another and said kerf end portions towards one another, said kerf end portions of said blades being in abutting engagement adjacent said resilient means, and a sliding sleeve engaging around said handle end portions, said sleeve, when moved towards said resilient mean-s, mov- 3 ing said kerf end portions of said blades apart from one another.

2. The device according to claim 1 in which said resilient means intermediate the ends of said blades comprise a substantially semi-circular curved resilient portion formed along the length of each of said blades, said semicircularly curved portions lying opposite one from the other, said curved end portions of said blades pivoting at the junction 0f the lower ends of said semi-circularly curved portions as said sleeve is moved along said handle end portions of said blades.

3. The device according to claim 1 which includes a shoulder formed on the upper sides of said resilient means limiting the downward movement of said sleeve.

4. The device according to claim 2 which includes a shoulder formed on the upper sides of said semi-circularly curved resilient portions limiting the downward movement of said sleeve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,553,479 5/1951 Schmarje et al. 3,167,981 2/1965 Kern 81-43 FOREIGN PATENTS 290,714 5/1928 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

15 R. V. PARKER, 111., Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SCREWDRIVER COMPRISING A HANDLE, A PAIR OF RESILIENT BLADES SECURED BY ONE END THEREOF IN SAID HANDLE AND EXTENDING THEREFROM, SAID BLADES LYING SUBSTANTIALLY ALONGSIDE ONE ANOTHER AND CONVERGING TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID HANDLE, A SCREW KERF ENGAGING BIT ON THE DISTAL END OF EACH OF SAID BLADES, RESILIENT MEANS INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SUCH BLADES DEFINING HANDLE END PORTIONS AND KERF END PORTIONS OF SAID BLADES, SAID MEANS NORMALLY BIASING SAID HANDLE END PORTIONS AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER AND SAID KERF END PORTIONS TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER, SAID KERF END PORTIONS OF SAID BLADES BEING IN ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT ADJACENT SAID RESILIENT MEANS, AND A SLIDING SLEEVE ENGAGING AROUND SAID HANDLE END PORTIONS, SAID SLEEVE, WHEN MOVED TOWARDS SAID RESILIENT MEANS, MOVING SAID KERF END PORTIONS OF SAID BLADES APART FROM ONE ANOTHER. 